Lions break URC derby duck

The Lions broke their United Rugby Championship (URC) derby duck for the season and it took a monumental — arguably the best — defensive display to get the job done against the gallant but error-prone Stormers.

The hosts prevailed 30-23, scoring three thrilling tries in the first half, before backing it up with stout defence in the second when the Stormers threw the kitchen sink at them.

The Stormers conceded defeat when they opted to go for goal with the last kick of the game to secure a losing bonus point. By then, they had learnt the hard way that the Lions' defence was not easily bent.

This Lions' defensive display will bring huge pride to their coaches' box. It was as robust as it was structurally sound as it’s been all season. They were unyielding in the face of torrential Stormers downpours in their 22.

Lions head coach Ivan van Rooyen said his team targeted the Stormers’ maul. “Not just the defence. Also the maul defence. They had scored two maul tries against us previously,” he said.

This was the Lions’ maiden home win over the Stormers in the URC — and they had to dig deep to secure it. They showed greater vision and execution in attack, mainly through man of the match Quan Horn and Henco van Wyk in the first half, while their urgency to make tackles stick was a hallmark of the second.

Flyhalf Gianni Lombard played with composure, while his performance off the kicking tee was exemplary, contributing 15 points.

While the Stormers gamely fought to get back into the contest, they left themselves too much to do after going into the break 24-6 down.

In the corresponding match in the 2022/23 season, the Stormers came back from 22-10 at half-time to win 31-22. They again launched a rearguard action, but the sins of the first half proved insurmountable.

What the visitors showed in effort, they lacked in application. They knocked hard on the home team’s door but the Lions held on grimly in defence. The also knocked on at inopportune moments ,as they often let the home side off the hook in the first half. The wet ball didn’t help.

Upfront, they failed to assert themselves. Tighthead Frans Malherbe — playing in his 150th game for the franchise, and his four fellow starting forwards with Test experience — did not make the gains many might have anticipated.

As you'd expect,  visiting No 8 Evan Roos tore into the Lions defence but, on that front, he proved a lone warrior.

Fullback Gelant teased and tormented, though at times also his team's supporters. He was mostly on the ball, though. Substitute Jonathan Roche brought energy and urgency.

The first try came in the 19th minute when Horn again rid himself of the first tackler, and with options either side excellent, scrumhalf Morne van den Berg — who ran a typically intuitive support line on the inside — proved a willing and able recipient.

A similar cast, employing the same method assembled for another thrilling Lions surge upfield three minutes later, though this time it was a little more elaborate. This time Van Wyk scored, while Marius Louw gleefully accepted the offer of an open tryline in the 34th minute.

Roos touched down in the 69th minute to give the visitors renewed hope but the Lions continued to show their claws in the last 10 minutes.

Scorers:

Lions (24) 30 - Tries: Morne van den Berg, Henco van Wyk, Marius Louw. Conversions: Gianni Lombard (3). Penalties: Lombard (3).

Stormers (6) 23 - Tries: Warrick Gelant, Evan Roos. Conversions: Jurie Matthee (2). Penalties: Matthee (3).